The Ocean County Board of Freeholders authorized the lawsuit at its Aug. 7 meeting, after initially exploring the idea in July.

The strongly worded suit against Gov. Phil Murphy's administration claims the directive is super-ceded by federal regulations, as well as a violation of New Jersey's "home rule" which permits county and local governments to have control over local needs and functions.

Critics of the law enforcement policy regarding immigration issues say it turned New Jersey into a "sanctuary state."

The suit challenges legality of the directive issued by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, which limits voluntary assistance between law enforcement officers and federal immigration authorities, including ICE agents.

By the end of August, at least 10 municipalities within Ocean County had shown support for the lawsuit via official resolutions— Jackson, Lavallette, Plumsted, Long Beach, Bay Head, Ocean, Lacey, Barnegat, Stafford, and Berkeley, according to assistant County Administrator Michael Fiure.